A Proposition for You
by Ayame Dark Blue
Summary: Shin Megami Tensei IV.Written for a prompt I received on Tumblr. These demons are just trying to survive in a harsh environment. So then what do these humans have to offer? One shot.


Thank you very much, anon on Tumblr for this. Sorry that it took so long.

Anon: "If you still want a prompt to help with a fic how about this?: (For SMT4) write from the POV of a demon one of the Samurai are trying to recruit/ fundraise from."

* * *

The streets of Shinjuku had been turned to rubble, with cars overturned and massive cracks in the pavement, large enough for a small demon to fall into. The storefronts were still on fire, but the streets were mostly hazy with ash.

Jack Frost had led a small party in search of human treats. Often, when calamity struck, there would be dead bodies strewn left and right, and their mortal possessions would be ripe for the taking. Not as if they were going to need macca where _they_ were going.

It was just the three of them, Jack Frost, Nue, and Moh Shuvuu rummaging through the pockets of corpses. They hadn't been successful in finding treasure or food in days, and without something to barter more powerful demons, they would soon starve.

Of course, a hungry Nue was also an equally stupid one. While the other demons did most of the hard work, it just stood off to the side and bellowed about how hungry it was.

"Be quiet, you buffoon!" the Moh Shuvuu screeched at it, her feathers ruffled in indignation, "If you aren't going to help us look, then stay on the lookout for enemies. And be quiet about it!"

"BUT IIIIT'SSSS HAAARD..." the wilder whined back, "NUE IS STAAAAARVING!"

"Shut up, or you won't get anything to eat!" The winged demon retorts. Jack Frost stops fiddling with a small black object for a moment to regard his allies.

"Plea-he-se don't bicker, ho!"

The Moh Shuvuu turned to her smaller, quieter companion. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, _this_?" He replied, "I don't know, ho! I've never seen this before, but I'm sure that the merchants can tell us what it is, ho!...except I don't want to get my ho-opes up..."

"Right, they won't buy just _anything_ off of us..." the Moh Shuvuu nodded in sad affirmation.

"GUUUUUUUUUUYSSSSSS!"

"Yes, Nue, we-hee know you're hungry. We're almost done, ho."

"NONONONO, _GUUUYSSS_!" The beast shouted, "HUMANS APPROACHING!"

"Aw, shit." The Moh Shuvuu dropped the body she was holding as the demons moved into a defensive formation.

Four humans, three male and one female, appeared from the entrance of the area. They were odd looking individuals, dressed in a sort of bizarre, brightly colored uniform of white and blue robes. And they brandished swords and pistols. It would have been amusing if not for the fact that they were also armed with _demonicas_ as well.

Jack Frost has seen what a demonica can do to a demon. These humans were dangerous.

One of them, the tallest one among them, was several meters ahead from his comrades, and rushing towards the demons at full speed. His wild hair and bare chest made him appear more savage compared to his more calmer looking allies. But it was the crazed gleam in his eyes when he spotted what the fairy was holding that truly unnerved Jack Frost.

"Protect our leader!" The raptor demon cried as she and the Nue positioned themselves directly in front of the small snow fairy.

"Behold, my _demons_!" The boy shouts, and in a bright flash he is suddenly flanked by a Fenrir and a Legion. He points towards the ragtag demon group with his blade, and spoke. "I've come for _that_!"

Jack Frost, terrified out of his mind, clutched his treasure a little closer to his chest.

"Hold, Walter!" The other humans catch up with him. One boy with long ponytailed hair places his hand on his comrade's blade and gently lowers it. "Recall your demons. I will open negotiations with them."

The Moh Shuvuu was still wary as her (hair) wings blocked Jack Frost from their view. "Who says we want to negotiate anything with you?!"

Ponytail looked a bit offended by her question. "Why, no one did. But I believe I have something of value to trade with you."

"WE ONLY WANT FOOD AND MACCA TO BUY FOOD!" the Nue hissed.

Ponytail looked thoughtful. "I see... unfortunately, we are low on both and was hoping that you might possibly have some to spare."

"How dare you come begging to us! We're starving to death here and you waste our time with your 'negotiations'!" The raptor demon was practically shrieking, her feathers all ruffled, "insolent mortal! I'll kill you!"

"No no nono!" The third male in their party, a gent with bushy hair and a soft voice pushed the ponytailed human out of the way. "Please, we did not come here to fight. We really are low on supplies and we need to get to the next city. If you are in the same predicament as we are, why not join us? There's more power in numbers, as they say."

"WE DON'T EAT THE SAME FOOD THAT YOU DO, MORON!"

"Oh." Bushy hair boy looked down, "Well, that did cross my mind. Still, we could assist in finding you...whatever it is that demons eat."

The grin Nue gave him caused them visible discomfort. "REEEEEEEEEEEDSSSSSSSSS. DELICIOUS REDS. BUT THERE ARE NO MORE HERE."

"I'm sorry. We aren't familiar with reds..." the short female in their group stated. Her suspicious gaze regarded the band of demons with more caution than her comrades.

"Well, duh, of course _you_ wouldn't be." Moh Shuvuu snorted, "Reds aren't the only thing we eat, but even then finding _any_ sustenance from these bodies is highly unlikely. The place was raided by stronger demons when it was first destroyed. Every body we found was wiped clean." Her eyes narrowed, "Hey, Boss. Let's say we just take what we want from them and be done with it."

Jack Frost, who had been cowering behind his friends the whole time spoke up. "Wait-ho! Let's not attack them yet!" He still clutched his find in his mittens, hiding it as much as possible. "These hee-humans have a point. We can't go very far by ourselves without food. But if we stay we will definitely die here, ho! Even if we-hee take what we need from them it still doesn't solve our long term problem ho!"

"This is true." The Moh Shuvuu acknowledged, then turned to the wilder beside her, "What say you? Should we join these humans?"

"HELLLLL NO! DID YOU SEE THAT DERANGED LOOKING ONE? HE WANTS TO HARM USSSS! HE HAS DEMONSS ALREADY WHY WOULD THEY WANT USSSS?!"

The ponytailed human, which at this point is probably presumed to be leader, explains. "Tis true, Walter already has two demons of his own. But we don't have very many among the four of us. We've lost many demons when we entered Tokyo. Without some more to fight alongside us, we aren't going to be able to travel much further. Truth be told, the rest of our demons are dead."

"Oh! You just want us to needlessly fight and die for you, is that it, mortal?!" The Moh Shuvuu was enraged now, and even the other demons were nervous, "We aren't fodder! We want to survive, too! Ah, screw it! Boss, let me kill them!"

The more wild looking summoner among them raised his demonica. "You think you can best my demons? Ha!"

"Enough, Walter." The ponytailed-possibly-leader reprimanded him, " _We are not attacking these demons._ " He then peers over Moh Shuvuu to the cowering fairy behind her. "You there...are you the leader of this band?"

Jack Frost excitedly nodded in response.

"Forgive my fellow samurai in his haste. We did not mean to threaten you." The boy spoke carefully, "I am called Flynn. I hope that you and your mates will consider our proposition. Only I and Isabeau are in need of allied demons - you won't have to answer to Walter if you do not want to."

"WHICH ONE IS ISABEAU?!"

The female raised her hand. She kept her distance from the group, and appeared cold and standoffish.

"NUE IS NOT SURE IF NUE LIKES THAT HUMAN."

The girl in question - Isabeau - stiffened at that comment, but her expression remained neutral.

"Rude, Nue." The Moh Shuvuu chided it, "I'd prefer to have a female summoner anyway. She looks smarter than her friends."

Said female summoner still appeared to be on the defensive, "...so does this mean that you will consider our proposition?"

"We-hee will only _consider_ it." Jack Frost replied, "We-hee need to discuss amongst ourselves - give us a mo-ho-ment!"

The demons took a few steps back and huddled together beside the wall. "NUE STILL NOT SURE ABOUT THE BLUE SCARF ONE. DID YOU SEE THE WAY HE WAS LOOKING AT FROSTY'S TREASURE?"

"Nue, lower your voice. They can still hear you." The raptor snapped at it, then quickly peeped behind her at the humans. They seemed to be watching them carefully.

"But, the beast is right about one thing. We cannot ignore the fact that we may be being duped."

Jack Frost held up the black metal object he had been clutching this entire time. "I don't know-ho what this thing is, or even if we can earn macca from selling it. But I think... I think we-hee can gain more in the long run by accompanying these hee-umans."

"Are we all in agreeance, then?"

"IF FROSTY THINKS THIS A GOOD IDEA THEN NUE DOES TOO."

Moh Shuvuu signs in exasperation. "...that's not how this works, Nue, you have to be sure of this yourself - argh dammit there's no use talking to you."

"HUMANS LEAD US TO FOOD! THIS GOOD!"

"It'll be alright, ho!" Jack Frost reassured her, and the group returned to Flynn. "Hee! It has been decided, ho!"

The boy tilts his head curiously. "What conclusion have you come to?"

"We-hee will join your party, ho!"

"Well, that is splendid, indeed." The bushy haired boy with golden eyes spoke, "and I am glad this came to without any fighting. My name is Jonathan. I hope that my fellow samurai treat you well."

"Yeah, I hope so, too." Moh Shuvuu said, and with an air of indignance she flourished one of her wings towards the female, "I pick that one to be my summoner. Do not disappoint me."

With a flash of bright light, the raptor disappeared. The girl glanced down at her gauntlet in mild surprise.

"I do not recall consenting to this...but I suppose it is of no consequence. I have a demon now." She sighed.

"Hoy, Isabeau. You two are a perfect match for each other." Her wild looking comrade called out to her.

"Whatever is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

The other humans did not seem to pay their bickering any mind. "NUE SUPPOSE THAT YOU WILL TAKE NUE AND FROSTY? "

"If only you'll have me." The boy named Flynn replied.

"HOOOOORAAAAY!" The Nue bellowed happily, and just like Moh Shuvuu, it disappeared in a flash of light only to reappear on the boy's demonica.

Jack Frost approaches the human. "I really do appre-hee-ciate this!"

"But of course." Flynn said, "I don't mind at all."

Jack Frost regarded his earlier dilemma for a moment. And then changed his mind. He passed along the item he was carrying to Flynn. "Here, a token of my gratitude, ho!"

The boy gazed at the item curiously. "Do you have any idea what this is, Jonathan?"

"Not I." The bushy hair one answered, "but I'm sure that Abbott Hugo wouldn't mind us bringing it back with us. He will accept any artifact from Tokyo."

Flynn turned to the Jack Frost. "Thank you for this gift."

"No, thank _you_ , ho!" The fairy was practically bouncing up and down, "Thanks to you hee-umans, we can finally leave Shinjuku, ho!" And he, too, vanished, leaving the band of humans plus three demons and a weird metal artifact of some unknown value.


End file.
